One of the first shows to undergo a retooling for the fall is Fox's The Wedding Album. Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, the writing team behind the WB's canceled Pepper Dennis, has joined the Fox series as showrunners.

A romance hour that revolves around a wedding photographer, The Wedding Album is produced by Fox TV Studios 20th Century Fox TV. The two writers have a deal at the latter. They will help rework the show's pilot script, and recast it, now that lead Bruno Campos has exited the project.

Berg and Harberts join a long list of producers on the show. The project initially was developed five years ago, through Greenblatt-Janollari Studio, which dissolved after Robert Greenblatt was named entertainment president at Showtime, and David Janollari was named the WB's programming chief.

Last season, Fox revived the project, written by Andy Tennant and Wink Mordaunt. Tennant shot the new pilot, which, now, gets a reshoot

Fox has announced the fall premiere dates for its new and returning series in prime time, plus late night entry Talk Show with Spike Feresten, which kicks-off on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 12 a.m. out of the season-premiere of MADtv. The prime time premieres, which begins with dramas Prison Break and Vanished on Aug. 21, are listed in chronological order as follows:

Comedy Central is bringing back Futurama from the deep freeze three years after the animated series was canceled by Fox.

The network announced Thursday that it has picked up the rights to at least 13 new episodes of the series, which was created by Matt Groening, the man behind The Simpsons. Production will begin within the next few months with an eye toward debuting the new episodes sometime in 2008.

The original voiceover cast, which includes Married with Children star Katey Sagal, has already signed on to work on the new order of episodes.

Last fall, Comedy Central entered a deal with Twentieth Century Fox Television that gave the newtork the rights to all 72 existing episodes of Futurama, with an option to pick up any new episodes that might be produced down the road.

The Viacom network outbid Adult Swim for the rights to the series, which enjoyed a five-season initial run on Fox until being canceled in 2003.

ABC has extended its option on the cast members of Secrets of a Small Town, a pilot that, despite much buzz, wasn't picked up for the fall season. What's more, a source tells TVGuide.com that some top Alphabet execs remain "truly invested" in the mystery-sudser (starring Denise Richards, Sean Patrick Flanery and Angie Harmon), meaning that Small Town may just be visited after all. Similarly, ABC has extended its options for October Road (which could hit the air as early as mid-season) and Dylan McDermott's A House Divided, while Fox has done the same with Faceless (a drama about hostage negotiators), The 12th Man and four of the stars of The Adventures of Big Handsome Guy and His Little Friend.

Posted by Matt Webb Mitovich 06/30/2006 2:22 PM |

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On the subject of cancelled shows, I was in the process of deciding if I like "The Book of Daniel," when it was cancelled. People said it was blasphemous, they might have been right, I don't know. I thought they were stealing stuff from "Joan of Arcadia," "Six Feet Under," and several other good shows.

Anyway, my point is, I wanted to see where the show was going, and now I can. The complete series, including episodes that were only shown on-line and never broadcast will be available in a DVD release: The Book Of Daniel: The Complete Series [DVD](2006). My luck I'll like, and want more, but if you're interested it'll be available on September 26th. You can order now using this link.

This Saturday at 10 pm/ET, CBS will rebroadcast the pilot episode of Showtime's Brotherhood, which made its cable premiere last Sunday. CBS also has announced that this fall, How I Met Your Mother will swap places with the brand-new comedy The Class and air at 8:30 pm.... Similar to the CBS/Brotherhood deal, NBC plans to air same-week repeats of Bravo's Project Runway, which debuts its third season tonight, starting Monday at 8 pm/ET.

HBO announced at Wednesday's Television Critics Association summer press tour that the 10-episode second season of Rome, premiering in January 2007, will likely be its last. Chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht explains, "It's an enormous undertaking to do a regular series 6,000 miles away in a foreign country." (As if Vancouver can't pass for Italy.) In other HBO news: starting in September, the movie showcase that has called Saturday night home for 15 years is moving to Sunday, opposite NBC's new NFL coverage, followed by The Wire; Larry David is close to signing on for another, probably final round of Curb Your Enthusiasm; Spike Lee's Hurricane Katrina doc, When the Levees Broke, premieres Aug. 16; David Bowie, Orlando Bloom and Ian McKellen are among the guest stars lined up for Season 2 of Extras, arriving in January; a Kelly Clarkson concert will air in February; and Big Love's sophomore season is a good bet to bow next June.

Posted by Matt Mitovich 07/13/2006 10:19 AM

Comedy Pays More Mind; Cartoon Awaits Boondocks

Comedy Central has ordered a third season of Mind of Mencia (to debut in 1Q 2007), and has scheduled a Legends special for Sept. 10 giving respect to Rodney Dangerfield.... Cartoon Network, meanwhile, still awaits word on exactly when Boondocks will return for a sophomore run. Explaining the delay, the controversial strip's creator, Aaron McGruder, tells the New York Post, "Our production schedule is really, really long. We're halfway through the writing [of the 20 episodes] and just getting underway with the animation." McGruder's money is on a March 2007 premiere.

Posted by Matt Mitovich 07/13/2006 10:17 AM

Short Cuts: Grey's Anatomy, MLB All-Stars and More!

Oxygen and TNT are close to inking a deal to share cable rights to Grey's Anatomy repeats, to begin running as early as January 2007.... Opposite Tuesday's MLB All-Star game, CBS' Rock Star: Supernova gained nearly one million viewers versus its premiere week.... Speaking of hardball, with 14.4 million fans, the ratings for the All-Star game were up 15 percent over last season, the largest bump in 24 years.... Skating with Celebrities' runner-up Jillian Barberie tied the knot with actor Grant Reynolds last weekend.

NBC has picked up an additional season each of its popular summer alternative series "America's Got Talent" and "Last Comic Standing." "America's Got Talent" (Wednesdays, 8-10 p.m. ET and Thursdays, 9-10 p.m. ET) will return to the NBC schedule at mid-season while "Last Comic Standing" (Tuesdays, 9-10 p.m. ET) will resume next summer with all-new episodes. The announcement was made today by Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment.

"Both of these series have been bright spots on the summer television landscape," said Reilly. "We think they'll be around for a long time."

As of July 19, "America's Got Talent," the new break-out series of the summer, is averaging a 3.8 rating, 12 share in adults 18-49 and 11.3 million viewers overall this summer, making it the #1 original summer series in total viewers. "America's Got Talent" has improved the Wednesday 9-10 p.m. (ET) slot over NBC's 18-49 average for the same nights last summer by 74 percent.

"Last Comic Standing" has ranked among the week's top-10 programs with each of its original telecasts this summer. Averaging a 3.7 rating, 10 share in adults 18-49 and 8.2 million viewers overall, "Last Comic Standing" has increased the Tuesday 9-10 p.m. (ET) hour by 95 percent versus NBC's average in the time period last summer.

Hosted by Anthony Clark ("Yes, Dear"), "Last Comic Standing" is the Emmy Award-nominated series that takes viewers on a nationwide talent search for the funniest comedians in America. Outrageous contests, surprise guests and unexpected twists and turns make for a lively competition with America ultimately choosing the winner who gets an exclusive talent contract with NBC and their own comedy special on Bravo.

"America's Got Talent" is from Simon Cowell and FremantleMedia, the producers of "American Idol," and is hosted by television legend Regis Philbin ("Live with Regis & Kelly"). The talent competition series brings the variety format back to the forefront of American culture showcasing the hottest performers from across the country, all vying for a $1 million grand prize, with the winner being chosen by the television viewing audience.

Each week, the show features a colorful array of hopeful future stars -- singers, dancers, comedic performers and unique acts of all ages who have a chance to strut and perform in front of a panel of celebrity judges, including actor, singer and executive producer David Hasselhoff ("Baywatch"), Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Brandy ("Moesha"), and United Kingdom television-media personality Piers Morgan.

"America's Got Talent" is produced by Cowell's SYCO TV production company and FremantleMedia. Cowell, Ken Warwick ("American Idol") and Cecile Frot-Coutaz ("American Idol") are the executive producers. Jason Raff ("Three Wishes") and Charles Boyd ("American Idol") are the co-executive producers.

While its rivals are staggering their fall premiere dates over the course of a few weeks, CBS will give viewers nearly everything on its schedule in the span of seven days.

The network announced its fall premiere dates on Wednesday, and with the exception of its unscripted shows "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race," the entire prime-time schedule will debut in the first week of the season, which starts Monday, Sept. 18. (That's according to Nielsen, which starts measuring ratings for 2005-06 that day.)

CBS can afford to load up its premieres in a condensed time because its schedule is pretty stable. The network has only four new shows for the fall, and most of its returning series are in the same spots they were last year. The exception is Sunday nights, where "The Amazing Race" moves to the 8 p.m. hour, "Cold Case" slides back to 9 and "Without a Trace" moves over from Thursday.

The 13th edition of "Survivor," which takes place in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific, will premiere Thursday, Sept. 14. The 10th "Amazing Race" will begin three nights later with a 90-minute premiere. And then comes everything else.

Here's a rundown of CBS' premiere dates (all times Eastern, new shows in bold):

The CW is teaming with McG, Jimmy Iovine and "America's Next Top Model" producer Ken Mok to launch "The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll."

Net has ordered eight hourlong episodes of the project, a sort of "Top Model" meets "American Idol" that will award the winner a spot in the red-hot pop group.

Tentatively titled skein is the first big reality project to be produced by the newly formed Warner Horizon Television. Project, which has been in development since spring, is on the fast track to air sometime during the 2006-07 season.

Skein will recruit young women from different backgrounds, putting the finalists through various challenges as they compete to prove their "Doll"-worthiness. Certain performance elements will be broadcast live.

Candidates will live together and be guided by Dolls creator Robin Antin, who'll serve as exec producer of the series with McG, Mok, Iovine and Steven Antin.

McG told Daily Variety that he's "always been a fan of burlesque and Bob Fosse," both of whose influences can be seen in the Dolls. He said the show will try to explore the consequences that come with joining a group such as the Dolls.

"I'm most interested in the personal drama, about the (candidates) leaving their relationships or trust issues with their parents," McG said. "It's about all the real-life stuff that lies within."

The Dolls project is the third TV skein for McG's Wonderland Sound & Vision, whose TV development is overseen by Peter Johnson. Warner-based shingle also produces "Supernatural" for the CW and "The OC" for Fox.

In the U.S., the Pussycat Dolls have sold 1.8 million copies of their debut disc "PCD," which has spawned a slew of singles, including "Don't Cha" and "Buttons."

LOS ANGELES -- ABC has given a big vote of confidence to its new series "Ugly Betty," moving the show away from the relative quiet of Friday night and into the competitive fray on Thursdays.

"Betty," an adaptation of the telenovela "Betty La Fea," is now scheduled to premiere at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 28, where it will lead off a lineup that also includes the hit hospital drama "Grey's Anatomy" and another new series, "Six Degrees." ABC will move utility player "America's Funniest Home Videos" into the 8 p.m. Friday spot that was "Betty's" original home.

The move comes after the show received a wave of positive reaction from critics at last month's Television Critics Association press tour. "Ugly Betty," executive produced by Salma Hayek (who also has a cameo in the pilot), follows a bright but plain-looking young woman (America Ferrera) trying to make her mark at a glossy fashion magazine.

The scheduling change displaces two other new shows, the comedies "Big Day" and "Notes from the Underbelly." ABC hasn't given them new homes yet, but they could end up on either Tuesday or Wednesday nights after "Dancing with the Stars" finishes its run later in the fall. Returning sitcoms "According to Jim" and "George Lopez" are also likely to fill one of the "Dancing" hours.

More people watch television on Thursday than on Friday, giving "Ugly Betty" a bigger pond in which to swim. But the show will also face some heavy competition in CBS' "Survivor" and NBC's "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office." FOX is also going with new shows in the timeslot -- sitcoms "'Til Death" and "Happy Hour" -- while The CW will return one of its top shows, "Smallville."

In more immediate scheduling news, ABC has yanked the unscripted show "One Ocean View" from its Monday schedule, effective next week after two episodes drew weak ratings. It will be replaced by repeats of "Supernanny."

ABC has tweaked its fall premiere schedule again in hopes of giving its new dramedy "Men in Trees" a little more exposure.

The show, which stars Anne Heche as a self-help author whose seemingly great life crumbles while she's at a promotional stop in Alaska, will air on Friday nights this season. Friday being a typically less-watched night of TV, though, the network decided to give the series some help in the form of "Dancing with the Stars."

"Men in Trees" will now premiere at 10 p.m. ET Tuesday, Sept. 12, following the two-hour season opener of "Dancing." The debut episode will repeat at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, with a second episode to follow at 9 p.m., its regular timeslot.

The change is the second scheduling maneuver ABC has made recently. Last week the network decided to move its buzzed-about series "Ugly Betty" -- which was originally slated to be the lead-in for "Men in Trees" -- from Friday to Thursday nights, where it will now precede "Grey's Anatomy." The long-running "America's Funniest Home Videos" will now fill the 8 p.m. Friday spot.

In addition to Heche, "Men in Trees" stars James Tupper, John Amos ("The West Wing," "Good Times"), Sarah Strange ("life as we know it") and Derek Richardson ("Hostel"). Former "Sex and the City" writer Jenny Bicks created the series.

Per Variety, Dave Navarro, rock journalist Neil Strauss and Entourage scribe Cliff Dorfman have been signed by FX to develop The Product, a drama series about a fictional dysfunctional rock band reunited after a three-year spat.... ABC is working on a U.S. adaptation of the U.K.'s Murder Prevention

As the new season approaches, CBS aims to bring everyone up to speed via an onslaught of season-finale encores. After rebroadcasting The Unit's season-ender on Aug. 25, the network, during the week of Sept. 11, will revisit the last-seen episodes of How I Met Your Mother (will Lily ditch Marshall?), Two and a Half Men (will Charlie tie the knot?), CSI: Miami (can Horatio catch Marisol's killer?), NCIS (do I watch this show?), Criminal Minds (or this one?), CSI: NY (Flack attacked!), CSI (what up wid Grissom and Sara?!), Ghost Whisperer (mmm, Melinda... ) and Without a Trace (I'm without a clue).

Picking up where Breaking Bonaduce left off, Andrew Dice Clay and actor Tom Sizemore will headline new and separate additions to VH1's "Celebreality" lineup, Variety reports. VH1 has also renewed Hogan Knows Best and Celebrity Eye Candy, and granted green lights to Celebrity Paranormal Project (celebs such as Rachel Hunter, Gilbert Gottfried and Gary Busey go ghost-hunting), The Wendy Williams Experience (behind the scenes of her radio show), and The Fabulous Life Presents: Really Rich Real Estate (a look at those who find homes for Tom Arnold and Frankie Muniz).

With their originally scheduled premieres a little over a month away, NBC has announced a time-slot swap for two new comedies. Under the new plan, Tina Fey's 30 Rock will air a half hour earlier, at 8 pm/ET, and now be followed by John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor's Twenty Good Years. What's more, both series will now bow on Oct. 11, a one-week postponement from Twenty's initial premiere date.

LOS ANGELES -- FOX has jumped aboard the game-show bandwagon, greenlighting production on a show called "The Rich List" for later this season.

The show, which comes from the British production company responsible for "The Weakest Link" and "Dog Eat Dog," challenges teams of strangers to compete in completing lists on a variety of topics, ranging from book knowledge (states with a coastline, say) to pop culture (movies directed by Steven Spielberg).

The two teams bid on how many answers they think they can provide, with the highest bidders getting the task of completing a list. If one team falls short of its bid number, the other team moves on.

From there, the winning team takes on another group, with each right answer worth increasing amounts of cash. The winners can keep playing, and keep winning, until another team dethrones them.

"This is a truly original concept, unlike anything else currently on air, which promises to be exciting and addictive viewing," says Mike Darnell, head of alternative programming at FOX. "FOX is thrilled to bring this dynamic format to the American audience for the first time."

Eamonn Holmes, a long-time presenter on British morning show "GMTV," will host "The Rich List." A premiere date hasn't been scheduled.

The addition of "The Rich List" to FOX's roster means at least three networks will have game shows in primetime in the coming season. NBC is adding a show called "1 vs. 100" to its "Deal or No Deal," and ABC is at work on a show called "Set for Life."